Godless

My blogging frequency has dropped significantly, partly because of lack of time and/or energy, but also due to a change in mindset, such that the urge to write no longer occurs as readily as it used to.

So when the urge does come, it's a compelling one, and here's my first entry for 2018: a review of Netflix's Godless.

This series debuted a few months back but I got sidetracked by other shows ( Riverdale, in particular, is very good ).

I knew about Godless but guess I might've been a little put off by the Western premise, since I'm not exactly a fan of this genre ( the ones I like include Silverado and Dances With Wolves, which are considered more Western-lite ).

I can't say why I finally decided to put Riverdale on pause and switch to Godless, but the latter is now my second favourite Netflix show so far ( just behind Narcos ), and one of the best TV series of all time, IMHO.


***spoilers alert***

***spoilers alert***

***spoilers alert***


There's A LOT going on in the various story lines but I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't watched the show yet. So let's just say there's an evil villain out for revenge, his young protege who's gone into hiding in a town with an unusual demographic makeup, and many colourful, memorable characters everywhere you turn.

Written and directed by Scott Frank - who wrote the screenplays for Logan and Minority Report, among many others - Godless boasts an exquisite script and powerful performances from the entire cast, so huge credit goes to Frank.

Even the subplots are excellent - examples include Roy Goode's paternal nurturing of a fatherless young boy at the ranch where's he's hiding, the town sheriff's personal struggle with visual impairment and losing the respect of the people he failed to protect, how the deaths of practically every man in the town change the women's life choices, and there's even one about a reporter propagating fake news.

But the show clearly belongs to the 2 lead characters, Frank Griffin and Roy Goode, played flawlessly by Jeff Daniels and Jack O'Connell.

I've watched Daniels in quite a few movies these past 2 decades ( Speed, Dumb and Dumber ), but was most pleased when he clinched leading man status with The Newsroom ( a terrific series I love very much, but which didn't garner a following that warranted a renewal after season 3 ).
He plays Griffin with great relish, no doubt buoyed by the deliciously nasty lines he gets to deliver in every scene. I especially appreciate Frank's style of using short flashback sequences ( plus a few choice monologues ) to give viewers tidbits about the characters' backgrounds.
Griffin is what you might call the inevitable result of a violent history - irreversibly altered by the savagery he witnessed as a child, then groomed by the monster who murdered his family to become a beast himself. Here's a man who proudly wears a priest's collar and calls himself a preacher even though he's far from one, then spews Scripture to the cowering masses before having his posse slaughter them.
His ability to "see my own death" is a recurring theme and fuels his bold aggression, but more on this later.

The best reason to watch Godless is, of course, Jack O'Connell. He first caught my eye ( and blew my mind ) in Angelina Jolie's superb 2014 directing effort, Unbroken, but I recently discovered that I actually saw him much earlier, in the unnerving 2008 horror film Eden Lake ( costarring Michael Fassbender ).

I still don't quite understand how a British chap got cast as a cowboy, but kudos to whoever selected him, because I can't imagine anyone else playing Roy Goode.

I haven't delved in-depth into any interviews yet, but it's possible O'Connell had no experience in horse-riding, twirling guns or lassoing livestock before this role. And he nails the Southern accent and the swagger! I'm really really impressed.

Look out for a number of standout scenes: the one where Roy shoots the head off a rattlesnake that's about to strike a toddler, where he teaches an awkward boy to find the courage and strength to break a wild horse, and definitely the epic shootout in the final episode, during which he switches guns at lightning speed when the bullets run out ( reminds me of John Wick: Chapter 2 haha! ).

Perhaps the only grouse I have involves Griffin's aforementioned "see my own death" pronouncements, since we're never told what he saw, just that every time he stared down the barrel of a gun or walked into a house full of dying smallpox victims, he said he knew it "wasn't my time" yet.

So when he and Roy finally confront each other, mano a mano, why is there no reference to this? Mr. Frank, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?!


But as I said, it's a very minor complaint about an otherwise stellar piece of work. The last 15 minutes of the finale were extremely moving, and I realized how invested I was in the characters as I frantically dabbed my eyes with tissue. The closing shot of Roy on his horse, admiring the Pacific Ocean, is one I will remember for many years to come.

p.s. Pay attention to the soundtrack - it's incredible!

No word about season 2 yet, and chances are slim that it will happen. Even if it doesn't, 7 episodes of Godless are better than none, and you can be sure I'll watch them again in the not too distant future.

Jack O'Connell is now in the top 3 of my favourite actors list. I look forward to seeing him win an Oscar one day!